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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Silver Moon" data-source="post: 1323437" data-attributes="member: 8530">Thanks to E.Gary Gygax for his suggestion of adding Johnny Behind-the-Duce to the storyline.   Historical information about this man and why he felt an obligation to the Earps can be found at the following link: <a href="http://members.aol.com/margeebee/shortsty.htm" target="_blank">http://members.aol.com/margeebee/shortsty.htm</a>     Chapter 38, “Ambush on Freemont Street”, October 26th, 1881, 3:30 P.M.Sheriff Behan nods and walks away, heading back in the direction of the Tombstone Jail.  “Now what?” Hank asks.  “We get out of town before one of more of these groups decides to shoot us,” Arcade answers.   “When does the next Stage leave for Promise City?” Louie asks.  Hank replies, “It left a little over an hour ago.  The next one won’t be until tomorrow afternoon.”Hank says, “In that case, should we be standing right in the middle of the busiest Street in town?”  Morgana says, “Actually, it is probably the safest place for us to be right now.”     Arcade suggests, “How about we buy some horses?”   “And saddles, and barding?  That would cost more money than we have with us right now, and we already have horses back in the other town.”  Sam exclaims.   Hank suggests, “Let’s just stay at the boarding house until tomorrow.”  Arcade comments, “That may not be safe.  They know we’re staying there.”   Morgana says, “We could get a hotel room somewhere else.  How about the Grand Hotel?”  You’re forgetting that the owner is Doc Holliday’s gal,” Arcade mentions.   Hank says, “How about the Bird Cage.  Sam had a good time there.”   Louie suggests that he ask some people in the Chinese Quarter to give them lodgings for the night.”  Arcade suggests, “We can decide later, let’s get back to the boarding house and pack.”   They cautiously make their way the block back to Harwoods and each get packed up.   They decide to have Hank stay in the most defensible room guarding the bags while the others go and secure lodgings.    On their way out Sam comments that even the Stagecoach ride won’t be safe, that it could be ambushed.  Arcade stops and asks Howard Harwood “Isn’t holding up a stage a Federal crime?”  Harwood replies, “Only if it is carrying mail at the time.”   Morgana suggests “Let’s head over to the Post Office and see if any mail will be on that stage.”The Tombstone Postmaster says he doesn’t know yet.   Morgana decides to confirm that some will be, by writing out and then posting a letter to the El Parador Cantina.    Sam suggests that they check in with the Sheriff.   He is not in his office at the Crystal Palace Saloon, so they head over to the Tombstone Jail.   He isn’t there either, but Deputy Breckenridge is saying, “Behan is home sleeping.  He was up all night with Ike Clanton trying to make him too tired to cause trouble today.”   They express their concerns about their own safety and Breckenridge offers to help keep them from getting shot.    They happily accept his offer, with Louie commenting that he’s already been shot up enough for one lifetime.  Breckenridge locks up the jailhouse and the five then begin to head over to a residence in the north part of town.   Morgana has them stop at the tailor shop, where she drops off a copy she has written out of the “Gather” spell, telling Jacques “You may find this useful.  They proceed on, and Breckenridge knocks on a door which Deputy Jeb Dalton opens the door.  Dalton is informed that he is now on duty for the rest of the night.   The five then wander over to the Occidental Saloon on Freemont Street for some supper.   Over the meal they talk about their experiences and Breckenridge is surprised to discover how inexperienced the fighters in Arcade’s Gang actually are, given the team’s reputation for having taken down Billy the Kid.   Morgana reminds the Deputy, “Be serious, you were there that day.   I didn’t even who I had killed until after you identified the body.”   Breckenridge assures them that he has ample experience (5th level) to help guard them.   He says he might even know a safe place a bit out of town for them to hole up for the night.    Arcade suggest that they pick up their bags and get there soon, as it will be getting dark in another hour. Breckenridge takes the lead heading down the street, with Arcade and Morgana walking  behind him and Sam and Louie in the rear.   They see the boarding house only two blocks away and make their way towards it.     As soon as they all pass by an alleyway a fighter/rogue named Johnny Behind-the-duce slips out from the shadows and raises his high caliber rifle.   He takes aim at the leader of Arcade’s Gang and fires.   The shot enters Arcade’s back just below the left shoulder and just misses the heart by around two inches, exiting through the upper chest and ripping open a major artery.   Arcade staggers and throws his right hand up over the wound to stop the cascade of blood from the wound.   Morgana’s immediate reaction is rush up to Arcade and cast a spell (stealing an idea from the Star Trek: The Next Generation western episode “A Fist Full of Datas”), tossing up a Shield spell to give some protection to herself and Arcade from further attacks.    Sam and Louie both pivot around in search of the gunman, spotting him in the alleyway and partially shielded by the side of the building.  Both draw their revolvers.   Up in front Deputy Breckenridge draws his gun and also looks back.   With Breckenridge temporarily distracted, Doc Holliday steps out from behind the fence of the Freemont Street Corral and fires his shotgun point blank into the Deputy.   Holliday had harbored a grudge against Breckenridge ever since the Deputy broke up a showdown between him and Johnny Ringo the past summer, and wasn’t going to let the man’s presence deter him from the ambush of Arcade’s Gang.  Breckenridge falls to the street in intense pain with a mortal wound to his abdomen, his innards spilling out onto the street.   Arcade attempts to draw his gun and fire, but is overcome by the pain of his wound and the shot goes wild. The gun then falls from his hand, and Morgana has to grab him to keep Arcade from collapsing, while still maintaining her spell. Breckenridge also fires off his gun before passing out, the shot not even coming close. (DM’s Note: I rolled very well with both of my shots, successfully taking out the player’s two best gunmen in the very first round of battle.   Luck, however, was about to now shift to the players.)   Holliday then unloads the second barrel of his shotgun at Morgana and Arcade as Johnny Behind-the-Duce fires his rifle point blank at Sam.    The Shield spell only grants partial protection but is sufficient this time in deflecting the buckshot from Holliday’s hastily fired and poorly aimed shot.   Sam’s attacker likewise misses as Sam and Louie both fire their guns simultaneously.   Both of their shots hit perfectly, Sam’s striking Johnny right between the eyes while Louie’s enters the brain just above the left temple.  Either one of the shots would have been instantly fatal and the body drops to the ground.   Sam pivots around in the direction of the shotgun blasts while Holliday drops his now empty shotgun and pulls his revolver from its holster.   Sam lets off a shot in that direction, the bullet deflecting off of the wall of the brick building to Holliday’s right.   Holliday aims and fires at Morgana, who is once again saved by the Shield spell as it would have otherwise struck her.   The barely conscious Arcade attempts to cast a Heal Metal spell but is unable to.  Meanwhile, Louie has charged forward to the body on the ground, first confirming that he is dead and then quickly checking the pockets for valuables.  Sam’s next shot is phenomenal, hitting Holliday squarely in the chest.  Holliday drops his gun and falls backwards onto the ground, presumably dead.  Sam and Morgana look around the area for more attackers, seeing none.   A crowd begins to gather.    Morgana cancels her spell and then casts a healing spell onto Arcade.   It is not a very powerful one, but is enough to stop the bleeding and begin the natural healing process.    Arcade asks if she has any more healing.  She tells him no, that most spells that she took this day were offensive rather than defensive.   Arcade says that is what he did too, but that he has a single more powerful healing spell.   She tells him to cast it on himself if he can.  Instead, he staggers forward over to the body of Deputy Breckenridge, finding the man to be barely alive.  Morgana comes to assist.   They lie the Deputy down on his back, position his exposed parts back to where they belong, and Arcade then casts his spell.   Several people in the crowd gasp in awe at seeing this.  Arcade lies back barely conscious after that, the spell having used up all of his remaining vigor.   Big Nose Kate arrives on the scene and takes the dying Doc Holliday into her arms.   A short while later they are joined by Tombstone’s primary physician, Doctor Elias L. Farnum.  He checks Holliday and informs Kate that he has died.   The doctor the helps the crowd lift Deputy Breckenridge onto a buckboard to bring back to his home.   Arcade tells Farnum, “I did what I could for him, but it may not have been enough.”  Franum replies, “He’s a tough one, he’ll pull through.”  Sam and Louie help Arcade up on his feet.   Morgana eyes the crowd, not knowing who might be friend or foe, and questions the safety of remaining where they are.   Arcade mutters, “Does anyone know what happened to Hank?  They could have gotten to him first.”    Arcade’s concern is soon alleviated, when Hank rides up to then in a wagon pulled by a pair of horses, the group’s bags sitting in the back of the wagon.   “Hurry, get in, we’re going,” Hank exclaims.   They all climb aboard and Hank rides them out of Tombstone as fast as the horses will go. “Where’d this come from?” Arcade asks.  Hank replies, “Sheriff Behan loaned it to us.   He’s grateful for what you did for his Deputy, and thought we should get out of town before the Earps showed up.   He said for us to just drop the horses and rig off with Deputy Hunter back in Promise City and let him return it to Tombstone.  So, what exactly happened?”   Louie exclaims, “We made two men go dead.”  Arcade laughs and says, “Yeah, Sam got to have all of the fun on this trip.  He got a girl and shot both of the bad guys.”   “I shoot one too!” Louie proudly states. Hank says, “This could mean more trouble for us.  That Doc Holliday was pretty well known.”  Sam comments, “The other one too.  I heard some of the people calling him Johnny Behind-the-Duce.  They said he was being held for murder when he escaped from the Tombstone Jail last Spring.  Nobody had seen him again until today.”  Louie asks, “Promise City safe place now?”  Arcade comments, “Not sure.  We need to go back and get our horses”  Morgana exclaims, “And wait a few days until someone is fully healed!”   Arcade nods, realizing he isn’t going to win that argument.  Morgana then states, “I have an idea.  There’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit.  Let’s go to Europe.”  In the weeks to follow, the newspapers around the world print several exaggerated and inaccurate accounts of the incidents that day, further adding to the legend of Arcade’s Gang.   Morgana’s use of witchcraft at both the “Gunfight at the O.K. Corral” and “Ambush on Freemont Street” now credit her with having tossed around both fireballs and lightning bolts.  The three of the fatal shots that killed the two opponents are all credited to Sam, who the papers now dub “Sure-shot Sam”.  Other papers refer to him as “Sammy the Kid” due to Arcade stating Sam’s age as 22 while he looks his actual age of 15.   A New York City publisher prints a totally fictitious unauthorized biography of Arcade, which quickly becomes a best seller.   As he had a healing spell to save Breckenridge’s life, the author concludes that he was once a priest.   The biography recounts how he was an altruistic Priest of the Roman Gods, who headed west along the Oregon Trail with his wife and children.  His family was then attacked and killed by outlaws who left him for dead.  The half-breed Indian witch woman Morgana found him and nursed him back to health.  They then began his current quest of vengeance, first hunting down the killers of his family.  He then dedicating his life to bringing his own form of justice to the world, picking up the other Gang members along the way.The End (for now) </blockquote>

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